Utah gymnastics signs 'one of the country's top recruiting classes'


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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah gymnastics received official commitments from a trio of athletes on Wednesday, including USA National Team member Abby Paulson and Junior Olympic national champions Jillian Hoffman and Jaedyn Rucker.

“Abby, Jillian and Jaedyn will bring a championship pedigree and elite level skills to our team,” Utah co-head coach Tom Farden said in a statement.

The signees are familiar with gymnasts who are already competing for the Red Rocks. As a freshman in 2020, Paulson will reunite with MyKayla Skinner. The two were teammates on the 2016-17 USA National Team. Hoffman and Utah freshman Cristal Isa competed on the 2017 Junior Olympic National Team together while Rucker, Isa and freshman Adrienne Randall were all on the 2018 Junior Olympic National Team.

Farden said Paulson’s experience competing “side by side with the best in the world as a former U.S. Senior National Team member” gives her an advantage of having “big meet experience.” The Minnesota native is a five-year international elite gymnast who qualified for the P&G National Championships and the U.S. Classic from 2013-17.

“(Her experience) will surely help our team on the competitive floor,” Farden said.

Utah coaches believe Paulson, who trains at Twin City Twisters, is a balance beam champion in the making. She placed sixth on beam in the 2017 P&G Championship and placed second in the all-around and tied for fifth on floor at the 2017 U.S. Classic. She was also a member of the USA team that won gold at the City of Jesolo Trophy in Italy. There Paulson tied for first on floor and placed third in the all-around.

“Abby’s ability to perform intricate skills at the highest level is stunning,” Farden said.

Utah isn’t counting Hoffman out of competing in the all-around her freshman year.

“She is a real spark plug and dynamic performer,” Farden said. “It is within Jillian’s capabilities to compete as an all-arounder for us next season.”

Under SCEGA’s training, Hoffman is a three-time Junior Olympic champion. She won gold in the all-around, bars and floor at the 2017 Junior Olympic Championships in the junior E division. The California native placed second on floor and fifth in the all-around at the 2018 Junior Olympic Championships.

“Jillian is a fierce competitor who has excelled with elite skills and her work ethic will inspire everyone around her,” Farden said.

Rucker impressed Utah’s coaches with her athleticism and breakout season this past year.

“While she is strong on all four events, her power really shows up on the leg events,” Farden said. “She has a massive Yurchenko one and a half vault. Jaedyn really came into her own this past year with a breakout season that included a perfect 10.0 vault in competition, which is extremely rare at the club level.

Her perfect score came at the 2018 Pikes Peak Cup, where she also won the all-around and floor titles. Rucker, who trains at Desert Devils Gymnastics in Arizona, won the 2018 Junior Olympics national vault championship in the senior B division and placed second in the all-around and floor, fourth on bars and seventh on beam.

“This is one of the top recruiting classes in the country this year,” Farden said.

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